I'm back!
Be prepared: This is gonna be a long, confusing, messy story. All about my Outback Safari! Let's get started (:
Saturday the 13th I flew to Sydney with Laura (austria), Sydney (canada) and Ricaro (brasil). Mia and Marianna (Finland) were in Sydney as well. We stayed in a youth hostel that night, with wayne and Rosemary, our leaders for two weeks.
sunday we flew with some more people to Alice Springs, a group from Melbourne was already there. That was the real start: off to camping! Yeah, we were sleeping in tents for most of the time... The weather was good though!
All together, there were 21 girls and 9 boys. Heaven for them maybe... And there were many nationalities, people from:
- Brazil; 1
- Austria; 3
- Argentina; 1
- Finland; 6
- Sweden; 1
- Norway; 2
- Faroe Islands/ Danmark; 1
- Canada; 2
- Thailand; 1
- Germany; 2
- Switzerland; 2
- Italy; 5
- Lithuania; 1
- Netherlands; only me!
Monday we went to 'School of the Air' and the Reptile Centre. The School of the Air broadcasts school classes to students in northern territory in remote areas. Yeah, australia is huge, and the desert is remote. We don't need that in NL. It was really interesting (:
After that, we went to the Reptile Centre. Many interesting animals, can't remember the names hahaha. And a huge snake!
We had free time in Alice Springs afterwards, but it's not a very exciting town. But the weather was good and we found a park (: Dinner at the camping, which was good! And back into town, for a didgeridoo/light show. It was a whole story with light effects, really cool!
Tuesday we had to pack our tents up at 4 am. Wooooow so early.. We arrived around lunch time at Kings Creek station, and flies everywhere...
We don't no that in the Netherlands: a remote area where you don't have any service, and desert, red rocks/sand everywhere. We went for a 4,5 hour walk at Kings Creek Canyon. It was intense, hot, exhausting but over all: amazing!
Wednesday we left camp again and went to Kata Tjuta. We walk around/ between the rocks and we went to a look out to watch the sunset. So beautiful!
Thursday it was Giacomo's 18th birthday (Italy), so we had pancakes for brekkie. We went to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the culture centre, about the aboriginals, their traditions and beliefs and Uluru.
I decided to do a helicopter flight over Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
Laura, Giacomo and Ronja (Finland) did it as well. The company picked us up and the pilot was from Utrecht! So I was in the middle of Nowhere in Australia, in the desert, and I meet someone from Utrecht. He moved to Australia only 1,5 year ago. So we were speaking in Dutch, Laura as well. Cause she's half dutch and her dutch is really good.
The helicopter flight was simply
AMAZING! Best thing ever!
We could see wild camels, the western australia border, south australia border, Uluru, Kata Tjuta and the places where a busfire was in January. That was as big as the Netherlands. Say whaaaaaat.
We sang 'Happy birthday' for Giacomo, in the helicopter, above Uluru. Pretty awesome.
After that we went back to the rock, many people climbed the rock. I didn't, my back was killing me and already did the flight, so I had seen the view. So Lorenzo, Max, Laura and I just walked around. Some other people as well.
We went to sunset at Uluru as well. So cool to see how the colours change.
On Friday we left camp again and we drove to Coober Pedy, in South Australia,
which is well known for its opal mines and dig-outs, houses under the ground. That was the first night we stayed in bunks instead of tents! We stayed under the ground as well. We went into a kinda museum, where they showed us houses under the ground and opal mines.
Really interesting. That night we went out for dinner: pizza. Once we were back we had a 'fashion show'; the girls had to dress up the boys like girls. They had to walk and answer questions. Everyone was crying, it was that funny. They had makeup, bras, dresses, the whole package!
The next day we left to Gladstone, where we stayed in an old jail. And guess what: the owner was from Utrecht as well! But he was really old and didnt really speak dutch anymore. The jail closed in 1975, and opened for visitors in 1979, We stayed in the old cells and that night we had a 'ghost tour'. Many girls were screaming, also cause Wayne was scaring them a bit more, by making noises and popping ballooons. Really funny. Two women did the tour, in old clothing. It was really cool, and not scary! Don't believe in ghosts, and I was just too tired to believe it.
I had a good sleep, in a normal bed again, only pretty cold...
Sunday we went to Narracoorte, where we stayed in bunkbeds again :D It was raining, windy and cold. so everyone was really happy we were in a normal (non-heated) room. That night we played some games with the whole group. We are such a big, close family!
Monday, the 22nd. It was a special day:
My 18th birthday! I got up and everybody wished me a happy birthday. That made me soo happy. When I walked in the 'lounge room/kitchen', everyone started singing and they had a badge for me: Birthday Girl!
And we had pancakes for brekkie, because it was a special day!
We went to the bat caves, pretty interesting.
After that, we left to Warrnambool.
For lunch we stopped somewhere, can't remember where, somewhere close to what they called a 'sinkhole'. It was so nice!
Hotdogs and donuts for lunch, yummmmieeee. Even tho I wasnt hungry, after I had many birthday treats and chocolate (for the whole bus). In warrnambool, we had to put our tents up again :( But it was soooooo cold and raining. With dinner it started raining, so we went somehwere inside, for shelter. But we had to go to a light show, about the Ship Wreck Coast. They rebuilt a village and they had an amazing story and show, half of the movie was protected on a fountain in the pond. The sound came from the houses as well. It was cold, but sooooo cool!
When we got back, we had our dessert, because we didn't have time before that. It was my birthday cake! So special, cute and delicious!
And I got a mini koala and a card, everyone wrote their names on it :)
We slept in that inside area as well, with the 32 of us. So much better than the wet tents! It was a really special day and I couldn't wish for anything better <3
And I saw that my iPod screen cracked, it's not too bad. But it's funny. I don't know how it happened, but it happened EXACTLY a year, 365 days, after I got it. Good effort...
Tuesday we went to Melbourne.
We did a part of the famous 'Great Ocean Road',with its 'twelve apostels' and other things (:
In melbourne we really had to sleep in tent: No shelter... And a lot colder. it was around 8 degrees... That's too cold to sleep in tents!
There was another group of exchange students, but ofcourse, no one from the Netherlands... I'm so lonely hahahaha. We played some games in the 'activity room'.
Melbourne is famous for its good tram system, bad weather (four seasons in one day), tennis courts (australian open) and cricket stadium. And it's the shopping capital of australia!
The next day we went into Melbourne and had free time. So Sydney, Laura, Lorenzo, Ricardo and I went to harbour town to go shopping! After lunch at Nando's we wanted to go back into the centre, but Sydney saw an iceskating hall. She loves iceskating and does it everyday in Canada, so she wanted to go iceskating. Laura and I went back to meet one of her mum's friends. She'd never met her, but she was really nice! We showed us some places and took us up to the skydeck, at the Eureka tower. The weather was really bad, cloudy and rainy, so we couldnt really see much. But still, it was really cool!
Back down, we went to a Lindt-chocolate shop and had the best hot chocolate ever! A nice treat after a rainy day.
At 4 we went back to the camp.
That day I bought a new shirt, kinda cardigan, scarf, ugg boots and a starbucks australia cup! Usefull stuff, also for in the NL. And a beanie! I wore it everyday after that and I slept with it, it was that cold!
That night Elli (finland) left already, because she left back to finland on saturday.
Thursday the 25th was Anzac Day, a national day of rememberance in Australia and New Zealand. To remember all people who served and died in all wars and other conflicts. We drove to Gundagai, which is n't a very exciting town.We walked around and of course: I forgot my camera...
After dinner we had some talks and speeches about the trip. It was the second last day already... We were standing in a circle, one person started a hug and then the next person and on and on. Everybody had something nice to say and it was beautiful to see how close everyone was. I think almost everyone cried :( sooooo sad...
The next day we packed the tents up, for the very last time, and we headed to Sydney! We stayed in the same hostel as the first night. It was a backpackers place, but it was all clean and good :)
We had free time in Sydney, so we walked around, had lunch in china town with svanna, sydney, laura, lorenzo, max, gonzalo and ricardo, did some shopping in George street and went to Circular Quay, to take pics of the bridge and the opera house. I've been there before, luckily, because we didnt have much time.
We had to hurry up, because we had to go to Darling harbour, to the hard rock cafe. We had the Safari final dinner there with everyone. I went there during my Sydney week as well :) It was really nice and it was a good night with great people!
we were back in the hostel around 10.30 and we were chilling downstairs at the couches and the pool table. some people went for a walk, but sydney and I were too tired and our feet were too sore. everyone came back and we had a nice night, good talks and stuff. round 4.30 we went to bed, but our alarm went off at 5.45. the first alarm started at 5.45 and the first person, me, got up at 6.20. everyone was too tired to get up hahahaha.
we packed our bags and went to the bakery for brekkie. many people left already, to go shopping or go to bondi beach. but we didnt have time to do that, because we had to be at the airport at 10. we took a taxi at 9.15 already, because we were that bored hahaha. we went with rosemary, wayne, michelle, milk and thorben. but we lost the last three. we had a cup of tea with rosemary and wayne and went to the gate. They waited till we started boarding, and waved till the last moment we could see them. So sweet!
That was the end. The end of an awesome holiday. The time flew by way too fast. I met great people, from all over the world and I made really good friends! Rosemary and Wayne were like parents for everyone, really caring about everyone and they did a great job.
The cook, suzy, made good dinners as well, always three course dinners and big lunches. And the driver, Doug, was always making fun of Sydney, because of her canadian/american accent. It was really hard to come back to Mackay, even tho it was warmer. It is so boring, quiet and hard without all the exchange students and Rosemary and Wayne... Everyone was great!
the only good thing: my own bed!
I had the best sleep in 2 weeks.
But I miss everyone already ...
Tomorrow I have to go back to school, and I haven't done anything yet... I just can't concentrate, too tired and still in a holiday mood.
More pics are on my facebook.
And I only have exactly 5 weeks, 35 days, left in Australia. So scary!
See ya next time,
Lots of love xxxx
